Chef Christopher Lee Leaves Mad Tomato to Start Chef's Table STL

Chef Christopher Lee has left Mad Tomato(8000 Carondelet, Clayton; 314-932-5733) after less than a year. He's moved on to a personal-chef venture called Chef's Table STL. We talked to Lee about what's next for him.

Firstly, Lee doesn't want to talk about his departure from Mad Tomato. "It's unfortunate, and it wasn't something I set out to do that long ago. I wasn't like, 'Let's go do this and then leave.' Looking at my track record -- that's really not what I do. It's unfortunate, and it is what it is."

Chef's Table is a food preparation and catering service; Lee says he came up with the idea only about two weeks ago. It's pretty sweet: tell him what you want and he'll deliver you a gluten-free and paleo-minded meal in 48 hours. Lee says it wasn't an idea he was actively working on, but a friend asked him to cook for her and her boyfriend, and he figured two is just as easy as fifty.

"I know a lot of people in my life work a lot of hours and do a lot of things, and with the changing of diets -- there's probably five books you should read, then you have to go to the grocery, then re-train yourself how to prepare it," Lee says, "It seems a little daunting for someone like my mom -- she calls me and says, 'I wish i could eat better.'"

Eventually, Lee would like to have his own product line, but he sees that in his five-year plan.

"Basically I just want to take my years of experience and tie that in," Lee says. "I've done everything from opening cafes to opening $8.3 million banquet centers. I think somewhere in between that, I could offer service to anybody that's looking for whatever."